The Visit
by Gotta Dance 88
Summary: Just a oneshot about an OC. Leon and Ashley visit Luis Sera's sister after his death.


_A/n: This is just something that popped into my head after I watched a part of Resident Evil 4. _

_It probably isn't very good, but I have to try. Please review??_

_I do not own Resident Evil 4 or any of the characters, except for one character, Maria. If I did, that would mean I was super-rich, which, unfortunately, I am not. Go figure. Anyhoo, enjoy and please review!_

The Visit

Leon Kennedy and Ashley Graham knew this visit would be tough. When Luis had been dying, he had asked Leon to tell Maria, a "friend" of his, about his death. Leon had asked Ashley to accompany him when he visited this Maria, since he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle it on his own.

They hadn't had any trouble finding the small apartment the girl lived in. Leon knocked, and the door opened almost immediately. A girl of about 19 peered at them curiously.

"Yes?" Her voice was calm, as though she was used to strangers appearing at her door at any given time.

"Are you Maria?"

"Yes. And you are…?"

"I'm Leon Kennedy, and this is Ashley Graham. Luis Sera sent us." The girl's eyes widened slightly, and then her head dropped forward slightly. Her next words surprised her two visitors.

"Ah, yes. I've been expecting you. Please, come in." She pushed her door open and beckoned them inside. Leon and Ashley entered the small but tidy apartment. Their hostess motioned them toward the couch. Leon sat down right away, setting the heavy box he was carrying at his feet. Ashley remained standing, picking up a photograph that she had noticed from the table in the living room. In it, Luis had his arm around Maria's shoulders and they were laughing, most likely about something Luis had said.

"Excuse me, miss, but…" Leon was cut off by the girl.

"Maria."

"Beg your pardon?"

"You can call me Maria. In fact, I'd prefer it if you did."

"Oh. Ok. So, Maria, how did you and Luis know each other?" The girl looked at the photograph, and she smiled sadly.

"He…was my half-brother." Leon and Ashley exchanged a glance before Leon spoke. They hadn't missed the slight hesitation in her sentence. It was as if she'd known already what they had come to tell her.

"You talk as though he's dead." Maria's gaze pierced Leon's when she turned to him. Her voice, when she spoke, was still calm, but wobbled with emotion.

"Mr. Kennedy, I _know_ he's dead. If he wasn't, he'd be here with us, telling about how _he_ had saved you and Miss Graham. I…he…" She choked for a moment, then regained her outwardly calm composure.

"Luis and I were very close. He liked having a younger sister to tease and take care of. He was always looking out for me. When my parents' marriage started falling apart, he got me out of there and let me live with him. I knew I was lucky to have him as a brother." Abruptly, she stopped talking and turned her head away. Leon and Ashley watched as a couple of tears fell down her cheeks. After a few minutes, Maria wiped the tears away and continued speaking.

"It was about seven days ago, wasn't it, when he died?" Without waiting for a reply, she hurried on.

"I don't know…how I knew, but that night I…knew something had happened. And when he didn't call me the next morning, or the next day, I knew something horrible had happened." Ashley leaned forward and grabbed Maria's hand, making the girl look at her.

"How did you know that we hadn't come to tell you that Luis was seriously injured and in a hospital?" The girl looked at her coolly, as though it should have been obvious.

"There was a certain look on both of your faces when I first saw you. It's the look of pity mixed with dread. I've seen it before, when my parents died and Luis had to tell me." Leon and Ashley exchanged another glance, confusion on both of their faces. Maria saw the look and her lips quirked upward into a small smile before she went on explaining.

"Pity for the person who is about to be told of their loss, and the dread of the messenger who is worried about how to handle the reaction of the person. But don't worry. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't cry right now.

Leon and Ashley watched as Maria rubbed her eyes, wincing as she did so. They both knew too well the feeling of sore eyes, whether from long crying jags or just plain exhaustion. It was painfully obvious to the both of them that the girl in front of them was fighting a combination of both. To break the awkwardness, Leon leaned down and hauled the box he had brought into his lap. Ashley spoke quietly, not wanting to startle their hostess.

"Um, Maria?" She smiled gently when the girls' head turned towards her.

"We brought his things with us. Would you like for us to help you go through them?" Maria stared at the box for a minute, then raised her eyes to look first at Ashley, then at Leon. Leon nodded and gave her his best half-smile. To some, the smile wouldn't have meant much, but he somehow knew that his smile would give Maria the reassurance she needed. Sure enough, Marias' lips quirked into a small smile, and she nodded. She reached for the box, but Leon shook his head.

"It's pretty heavy. I'll bring it over to you." She nodded again, her gaze shifting from his face to the box. He stood up and walked over to the chair where she sat, placing it on the table in front of her. Ashley shifted closer, while Leon stood next to Marias' chair. Hesitantly, Maria reached for the box and opened the flaps. Leon and Ashley watched as she pulled each of the items out and placed them on the table, occasionally making comments about specific ones. At the bottom of the box were several handguns, pictures in frames, and…

"What's this?" Maria stared in confusion at a black velvet box. She opened it, and gasped as the sparkle of diamonds flashed in her eyes. She looked up at Leon. Leon shifted slightly.

"This note will explain. It's from Luis." Maria took the note and read it quickly. Her guests watched as tears started trickling down her pale cheeks. Their hostess looked up at them and gave a watery smile.

"It's…my birthday present. I'm…turning twenty in about a month. This note says he…he wanted to be the first man to give me diamonds as a present." She laughed a little, but the laugh died quickly and several more tears coursed their way down her cheeks. Maria stood up, looking at her guests. She walked to the window, apparently lost in thought. Abruptly, she walked back to the table that all Luis' things had been placed and picked up one of the hand guns. Leon tensed and rose from his seat, unsure of what the girl in front of him planned to do with said gun. Shock spread through him as she held the gun out to him.

"Take it." Her voice was steady. Leon stared at her.

"What?"

"Take it. It was Luis' personal favorite. I don't have any use for it, and…I think he'd have liked you to have it." Leon continued to stare at her. She tilted her head so that they could look each other in the eyes. Leon reached out and took the gun from Maria. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards slightly.

"Use it well." With that, Maria walked to the door and leaned against the wall. Leon and Ashley took the hint and walked to the door. Their hostess opened it and let them out.

"Thank you." The pair turned back at the soft words.

"For bringing his things back to me. It…means a lot to me. I didn't think anyone would bother. So…again, thank you." Leon gave her another half-smile.

"Hey, it wasn't a problem. Besides, he saved our lives a couple times. I figured this was the least we could do for him." Ashley nodded in agreement. Leon reached into his back pocket.

"Here. Before I forget, here are some phone numbers. If you need anything, call them, ok?" To his surprise, Maria did not ask whose numbers they were. She took the piece of paper and nodded.

"Don't be strangers. Come visit me again sometime. Someday, I'll want to hear the whole story. You're the only ones who know what really happened. You'll have to tell me the story." Leon and Ashley looked at each other, then back at Maria.

"You bet. Just let us know." Maria nodded, then said goodbye and watched them walk off. Back in the car, Ashley turned toward Leon.

"So, are you going to use the gun she gave you?"

"Yeah. It'll remind me of them. Luis and Maria, I mean." Ashley smiled and faced forward. Both knew, without speaking, that they would visit Maria again. How could they not?

Back in the Sera apartment, Maria sat down and picked up the box with the necklace, a fine gold chain with a pendant shaped like a cross, which was set with diamonds and earrings to match. She smiled ruefully as she carefully put the necklace on, running her fingers along the fine chain.

"Why did you have to go, Louis?" She wondered aloud. His work had been important to him, she knew that all too well.

"I miss you so much. But at least I know you died helping others. Leon and Ashley said that you saved them more than once. That's a good thing." Maria sighed, then began to pray for strength. She decided to call the numbers that her visitors had given her tomorrow. She wanted…no, needed the answers. Once again, her hand traced the chain and pendant around her neck.

"It'll be tough. But I promise I'll make you proud of me, Luis." He had taught her to be strong. Now it was time to put those lessons into action.


End file.
